Ballpark Grandness

There's a moment unlike any other in baseball for me. It's when I walk into a ballpark for the very first time. Coming through the tunnel, or through the doors, or out from underneath the overhang of the deck above. It's the moment when I can see the inside of the park from the inside of the park. All of it.

Each of my 18 times I've entered a ballpark for the first time (Oakland Coliseum excluded since I grew up with it), I had previously seen the park on TV or in photos a million times. I had developed a flavor for the feeling of the park - a grossly distorted one. But a distorted feeling that only lends to the grandness of the park itself from how it really looks and feels. Television and photographs give a distorted sense of the horizontal. Especially the depth dimension. The vertical dimension isn't distorted much at all. So the overall sense is that the stands of the park are tall, yet far away. Fans sitting on the other side of the park look like ants.

But upon entering, the horizontal distortions are immediately corrected. The distant verticalness of the stands are suddenly brought up close and personal. Two opposing feelings are generated simultaneously, and mixed together. The vertical suddenly becomes more vertical, giving a feeling of extra largeness, yet the corrected closeness brings the vertical toward me, giving a feeling of greater intimacy. The mix is far more wonderful than can be expected.

My first experience with another ballpark outside the Bay Area was at Anaheim Stadium in 1985. The exterior facade from the parking lot was one thing, but entering the park was another. I will never forget walking into that tunnel. I caught a glimpse of the stands on the opposite side of the park. But all I had was tunnel vision of that group of seats. It was so much closer than I could have imagined! Then, breaking out of the end of the tunnel brought the whole ballpark into my sight, overwhelming me with a grandness and intimacy that would be experienced another fifteen times to this date. I love ballparks.

Don't Piss Off (or On?) King George

I really can't decide whether this is a cruel hoax or is reality. Apparently a baseball fan was forcibly ejected from Yankee Stadium by overly physical cops for simply having to go to the bathroom. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner has taken on a streak of American "patriotism" in placing a ban on fan movement during the singing of "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch at Yankee games. Stadium security uses chains to contain fans from moving about during this time.

Well, a certain fan, ignorant of such a policy, had to go pee, but was stopped by police on his way to the bathroom. They also confiscated his ticket stub. Read the article in deadspin.com here. Hat tip: Comcast.net

Hey, King George, private property rights are one thing, but treating guests in your own house that way is being an ass.

Instant Replay

Instant replay starts tomorrow in Major League Baseball. It will be limited to two types of calls (initially, of course): 1. fair or foul calls on home runs, and 2. home run calls where the extent of the fence is in view. The first type of call is simply this: the ball is obviously a home run, but the question is whether it is fair of foul. The second type is this: did the ball clear the fence (or yellow line as the case may be), or did it hit the fence or other object making it unclear whether it should be called a home run.

I'm divided on instant replay in baseball as of right now. I've always been against the concept, but the current system has a few positives. I can see it in football. Seven referees need to watch 22 players plus a ball (with an eye on all those standing on the sidelines too) all moving in different directions at the same time. In baseball, plays are not as complicated to call. The strike zone is set up by the home plate umpire so that even if it isn't correct, it is consistent in most cases. Limiting its use to home run calls, just to get them right, might not be a bad idea.

In recent years, baseball has undergone a ballpark building boom, often with quirky fence conditions, and the fans are placed right on top of the action, making it difficult on umpires to call something from 250 feet away. Back in the "sterile ashtray" ballpark days, where stadiums were designed for 38 different sporting events, there was often a solid fence with plenty of space behind it. Home run calls were relatively easy.

Tonight during the Giants game, Giants executive Larry Baer was interviewed as to instant replay. He stated that had the current plan been in place on opening day, there would have been only sixteen calls in all of baseball all year long where instant replay would have been used.

Even though, something tells me that giving an inch will result in a mile being taken. We'll have to wait and see.

Giants Loss Projection Through August 15

August 1 through August 15:

45-63, 95; 46-63, 94; 46-64, 94; 47-64, 93; 47-65, 94; 48-65, 93; 48-66, 94; 49-66, 93; 50-66, 92; 50-67, 93; 50-68, 93; 50-69, 94; 50-70, 95; 51-70, 94.

Giants Loss Projection Through July 31

July 18 through July 31:

40-56, 95; 40-57, 95; 40-58, 96; 41-58, 95; 42-58, 94; 43-58, 93; 43-59, 94; 43-60, 94; 43-61, 95; 44-61, 94; 44-62, 95; 44-63, 95.

Baseball In The Olympics

Baseball and softball will no longer be Olympic sports after this year, according to news reports I heard. I agree with this. I don't see why baseball should be an Olympic sport anyway. It's not an athletic competition the way other Olympic sports are. When I played baseball back in school, I never thought of myself as an athlete, but I did think of the track team as athletes.

The 2008 games are marked by "controversy" anyway on the diamond. The USA and China had quite a clash going with seven bean balls, two plate collisions and three ejections. Giants up and comer Nate Schierholtz had a plate collision with catcher Yang Yang which was pretty bruising. I spoke to others at work about the game, and one said it was a travesty for relations with China, while the other said that is the way baseball is played. I lean toward the latter.

Giants Not On TV For Some Reason

The Giants aren't on TV this afternoon, playing the Braves from Atlanta. They're scheduled to play on Comcast Sports Net, both on their pocket schedule and on their broadcast schedule on their website. They're not on TBS, the Braves station, either, nor their flagship station (an NBC affiliate) due to the Olympics. But the A's pregame show was on instead.

As I write, the game just appeared on Comcast Sports Net Plus, starting at 7pm with the 9th inning, just as the A's game was starting on Comcast Sports Net regular. But the listing on CSN+ says the A's game is on. Go figure it all. The Giants are winning 4-1 in the ninth. We'll see if they can hang on now that they're appearing on the tube.

Manny Watches Dodger Meltdowns From Left Field

In game one of the Giants/Dodgers series, the Giants merely brought the tying run to the plate in their last at bat. In games two and three, they won with last at bat, come from behind walkoff wins with Manny watching it all from left field. Just coming from the hot and coming Red Sox, Manny must be wondering what the heck these Bums in blue are doing.

Saturday, the Dodgers scored in the top of the 10th inning only to see the Giants rally in the bottom of the frame to win. Today (Sunday) the Giants hit four consecutive balls within the infield; including an error, a tardy game-ending double pay attempt and a ball that went through the pitcher's legs and booted by the shortstop for the game winner.

I love this rivalry, even when both teams are not in contention.

Manny Being Fanny

All week long the big buzz in the Bay Area sports media has been a question. What are you going to be doing Friday night? With three major sporting events, talk radio hosts wanted to know. There was a Raiders/49ers football game in Oakland, the great Giants/Dodgers rivalry in San Francisco, made even more intense by the first appearance at AT&T Park by Manny Ramirez as a Dodger, then there was the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics from Beijing.

Completely unaware of the possible conflict, my decision was made last winter when my buyers and I divided up the season tickets. Mike and I had a pair of tickets to the Giants/Dodger game. Nevermind that it was the Dodgers, nevermind it was Manny, they could have been playing the Washington Nationals and I would have gone to the baseball game. That's how much of a priority baseball is.

Barry Zito gave up a 5 spot in an early inning, and the Giants were toast until they loaded the bases in the bottom of the 9th with the tying run at the plate before passing away. Manny, with all his attention, went 0 for 5, nearly invisible in the Dodger win. Welcome to San Francisco, Manny. You suck even more now because you're a Dodger.

John Armstrong and Baseball

Wednesday I sat with my friend John Armstrong and two of his friends as we watched the Giants beat the Braves, 3-2 at AT&T Park. Tim Lincecum provided the pitching highlights, scattering 5 hits over 8 innings in winning his 12th of the year. It was his 13th start this year following a Giants loss. I think this qualifies him as a stopper. He struck out eight, including the entire side in the 8th to a standing ovation.

John is an ordained minister who lives in Chicago and is a lifelong Braves fan and provided all the necessary info on his team. He even answered my attempt at a Braves trivia question: who is the only Brave to make the All-Star team his first three years? The answer isn't Henry Aaron. It is catcher Brian McCann. Braves disappointment Chuck James was on the mound, bringing a 9.91 ERA to the game, and John promised a double digit game for the Giants. I explained that the last time the Giants scored 10 runs in a game was against their wives in a celebrity softball game. The first inning seemed to ring true as James let two runs score. He only lasted four innings, allowing 3 earned runs, so his ERA dropped slightly. Brian Wilson closed it out for the Giants with yet another save.

A good crowd, almost a sellout, was on hand for what seems so commonplace these days. A midweek day game on a getaway day seems so short and to the point. With planes to catch, neither the teams or the umpires goof around. The game lasted only 2 hours, 14 minutes, but with arriving two hours early for batting practice it was a full day. The highlight of the day for the Braves came when Jeff Francoeur threw out Fred Lewis at the plate after he tagged up on a fly ball. John and I heard it on the radio - in the men's room. Oh, well.

All in all, it was a great day, one I will always remember. Thanks so much John, Don and Tyler for the memories. Box Score

Eight, Eight, Eighty Eight

Today is 08-08-08. Twenty years ago today was 8-8-88. An interesting thing happened on 8-8-88. Jose Canseco of the A's collected his 88th RBI.

Joe Morgan on Trevor Hoffman

We have Comcast cable hooked up to our TV. They have some special features, one of which is sports programming on demand. Over the winter, they replayed classic games from the Giants past, and you can view it anytime during the several week span it is offered. We watched a replay of the Giants opening day 1993, that magical (and title-less) year that they won 103 games but lost the pennant on the last day. It was Bonds' first home game as a Giant, and he hit a homer in his first at bat.


Later in the game, a very young Florida Marlin named Trevor Hoffman appeared for some middle relief. His baby face, well manicured intro version of his trademark beard, and bright teal hat made him look about 18. Hall of famer Joe Morgan, a Giants TV announcer at the time, remarked that although Hoffman had some good stuff, he really wondered if Hoffman should be in the majors, and felt that he needed more time in the minors. Okay, the Marlins were in their expansion year and really sucked, so such a thing is not uncommon. Little did Morgan know at the time that Trevor would become the all-time saves leader, a lights-out closer and future hall of famer. Say it ain't so, Joe!

Manny Uses Dodger Dugout Urinal For First Time

Manny Ramirez today used the urinal in the Dodger dugout for the first time. See a full report on ESPN tonight, and if you miss it, it will be repeated every hour on the half hour all night.

Bonds To Red Sox? (2)

Nevermind.

Bonds to Red Sox?

Just a completely wild guess, but a rumor just came out while listening to the Giants/Dodgers game on the radio. The Red Sox are rumored to be trying to trade Manny Ramirez in a three way deal with the Marlins and Pirates. I can see Ramirez going to Florida, since they're in contention and the Pirates wouldn't cough up that type of cash anyway. A lesser known will go from Florida to Pittsburgh, and the Sox would get somebody from the Pirates. The Sox will be missing a big bat for the final push, so why not Bonds? Crazy. I'm just guessing at this moment so as to have predicted it just in case it came true. It won't happen, but if it does, you heard it here first. If it doesn't happen, then I'm stupid. Fair enough?

A's Floundering; Giants sucking

The A's have fallen off the radar screen lately. Can't see them anymore. The Giants have the worst home record in baseball. Not quite like the good ol' days.

Making The MLB Schedule

I read a few interesting articles about the making of the MLB schedule. For 25 years, 1980 to 2004 it was a mom and pop operation...quite literally. A husband and wife team prepared it each year. Now, a consulting firm puts it together. With much criticism of the schedule, the articles explained just how difficult it is to make.

I've studied schedules for decades and love to find patterns, trends and changes from era to era. I'll go into more detail in a future post.

In recent years, since realignment, we have had an unbalanced schedule, yet also asymmetrical. In years past, it was unbalanced but symmetrical. Before division play it was both balanced and symmetrical. I'll also talk about the pro's and con's of each type of schedule.

Giants, Cain, Sweep Nats

Just when you thought the Giants were really bad... They swept the Nationals in a three game series. They also swept a four game series earlier in the season in Washington, making that a sweep of the season series. Yes, the Giants are still that bad. But the Nats are worse.

Matt Cain tossed a complete game, four-hit shutout. The Gyros scored their lone run in the bottom of the 8th in only a 2-hour contest. Cain took the mound in the ninth, letting two runners into scoring position with one out, but closing it out. My friend Shelly was there to enjoy.

Former Fellow Bum Finds My Blog

I was pleasantly surprised to find a comment in my inbox from one of the A's center field bleacher bums from so many years ago who had found my blog by accident. Her name is PegiRae, and I mentioned her in my Centerfield Bums post (click to read her comment) that is part of my Cast and Crew series. One of the fun features about our observation of the center field bums was that we had nicknames for many of them before I knew any of them. PegiRae calls me "Bleacher Steve", a name I never knew I had. That's only fair I think.

She has such fond memories of those days, too. It was really something special, the community and the fun. Her blog is here and her specific blog post is here.

Ray Durham Now Makes Beer

About five minutes ago the Giants announced that Ray Durham was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. They just completed their series with them, so I assume he just switched dugouts at the end of the game. I've been suggesting the Giants do this for quite a while, and now that they've done it, it seems a bit sad. That's just because Ray was a "fan favorite" type. I'm sure I'll be over it, like, when I wake up tomorrow. They got a couple of prospects, and I hope they pan out well. So long, Ray. It's been nice and it's been fun, but we gotta think about winning.

How To Heckle An Umpire Using A New iPhone

Last night at the Giants/Brewers game, there was a bad call made by the first base ump on a grounder to first covered by the pitcher. I was in the men's room, and they have the radio broadcast going in there. The announcers saw the replay and said the ump blew it. Once back at my seats, my friend Mike pulled out his brand new iPhone and somehow within a few clicks found a replay of the bad call. We watched several times, and yes, the ump did blow it. It was reminiscent of Don Denkinger's bad call in the '85 Series. Nora suggested that umps should have the benefit of iPhones. So I told her I'd heckle the ump, Jerry Davis if I remember correctly.

CC Sabathia dominated the Giants and threw a complete game 4-hitter, so there were no bullpen pitchers to heckle. So I stood up, and in the loudest voice I could force out, I yelled, "Hey, ump! You blew that call! We watched the replay on the new iPhone, and he was out! He was out! He was out! You blew the call! You're a bum!" This was a complete verbal thrashing of the umpire.

It was extremely loud, and I felt very dizzy and almost passed out. I'm sure half our side of the stadium heard it, many people cheered, and I even got a high five. My voice was ruined for today's game, too. Innings later, I could hear people talking about checking an iPhone to see replays of things.

Umpires are not exempt by any means from heckling, and I've enjoyed it over the years. I've never gone far enough to be tossed out of the game by the umpire (yes, they do have the ability to eject fans), but I may have come close a few times.

Giants Loss Projection Through July 15

July 1 through July 13:

37-47, 91; 37-48, 91; 38-48, 90; 38-49, 91; 39-49, 90; 39-50, 91; 39-51, 92; 39-52, 93; 39-53, 93; 39-54, 94; 39-55, 95; 40-55, 94.

All-Star Marathon

Well, tonight's game had quite a bit to watch. It was a very good game. Fifteen innings, four potential game deciding plays at the plate. I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. I loved the pre-game ceremonies. I love when a bunch of hall of famers are gathered together and the current players get to meet them. It was so good to see all those players I grew up with, and a few that were before my time. My all time favorite is Willie McCovey.

One thing that really disappointed me was the huge number of people that left early. What was that all about? The last all-star game at Yankee Stadium, and they had to pay plenty of money to get in. Yet, in extra innings there were tens of thousands of empty seats. Mrs. Scott suggested that it might have been because it was late there. Late? You have a ticket to one of the greatest baseball events in decades and you leave early? That's one day when you tell the boss, "I'm going and I might be late to work tomorrow." I wouldn't have left early for anything. Must have been a bunch of corporate sponsor types, yes? No? I dunno.

The National League can't buy a win these years. They had plenty of opportunities to put the game away and didn't. Not like the AL didn't either. I'm not a fan of the late game substitutions every few pitches. It kinda ruins the game. The Giants' Brian Wilson was on in the 8th with a one run lead, got the first two batters out, then got replaced. Billy Wagner then coughed up the tying run.

The really exciting inning was when the AL had the bases loaded with no outs in extras, and there were two consecutive plays at home plate. The NL got out of a bad jam, and I wondered if the game would ever end. But it did, and there were some good memories.

All-Star Memories: Ichiro's Inside The Park Homer

I went to last year's All-Star game in San Francisco. I took many pictures. I just happened to get this one perfectly. It is right in Ichiro Suzuki's swing; the very swing that resulted in his inside the park home run. Click on the picture to see it full size. Pretty cool.

All-Star Performance

The Giants two All-Star selections, Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson, on the last day before the All-Star break teamed up to defeat the team with the best record in baseball, the Cubs. Lincecum threw eight strong innings and Wilson saved it in the ninth. They showed why they're going to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

Players Hate Home Field Advantage Tie To All-Star Game

It seems that a majority of players hate the home field advantage for the World Series being decided by the All-Star game. Read the article here. I hate it too. What I didn't know was that it is apparently part of baseball's labor agreement through 2011.

An ERA Made of Wingdings

Grant at McCovey Chronicles suggests that the Giants weak lineup could torch a pitcher with an ERA made of the font Wingdings. I laughed hard and long. Read the short post here.

Cynic's Favorite Post Season Picks

Here's a list of post season teams that would make for the least fan interest, worst TV ratings, and one I would personally watch as much as I could:

AL west: Texas Rangers
AL central: Kansas City Royals
AL east: Tampa Bay Rays
AL wildcard: Seattle Mariners

NL west: Colorado Rockies
NL central: Pittsburgh Pirates
NL east: Florida Marlins
NL wildcard: Milwaukee Brewers

Honorable mentions: Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland A's, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres

Batting Practice

I used to catch batting practice quite often. I'd get out there when the gates opened two hours before the game. I don't know why, but the A's and Giants have always opened the gates two hours before game time. Of all other cities I've visited, I can't recall any of them opening gates any earlier than an hour and a half before game time. Why so late?

Showing up early at the park is just magic when the crowd is going to be small. There's a peace and quiet to be enjoyed, even with the music playing during BP and infield. The home team always took BP first, and were on the field when the gates opened. Teams switched after a bit, and the visitors could be seen taking full BP. A lull found itself between BP and infield. More quiet. Some times during BP, pairings of power hitting players might hit a number of homers, even quite a few in the case of, say, Canseco and McGwire. Most teams had weak hitting players so there wasn't great urgency to shag balls, but a glove on at all times was the norm.

After infield, the ground crew dragged the infield and applied the chalk for the batter's box and base lines. Many players did wind sprints. Alfredo Griffin was one such player. I used to yell at him, "Aaaaaaal-Freeeeee-Dooooooo!" He took to giving me a small wave behind his back each game, telling me how he appreciated it. Finally, one game he sent out a bat boy to the bleachers to give me a bat. Unbroken, black bat with pine tarred tape. I had him autograph it a few years ago. It's been a long while since I've been that early at a game. Maybe soon.

How To Heckle A Tampa Bay Player

Well, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball at the moment. But, before now they've always sucked, they're the only team in baseball to never make the playoffs, and they're the butt of all kinds of jokes.

I've heckled Tampa Bay pitchers warming up in the bullpen like this: "Hey, [player's name], at least you can't be traded to Tampa Bay!" For some reason, people find this hilarious.

Giants Loss Projection Through June 30

June 16 through June 30:

31-40, 91; 31-41, 92; 31-42, 93; 32-42, 92; 32-43, 93; 32-44, 94; 33-44, 93; 34-44, 91; 34-45, 92; 34-46, 93; 35-46, 92; 36-46, 91; 36-47, 92.

Fourth of July Double Headers

In baseball past, the 4th of July was a popular day for double headers. I remember one strange one in 1984. The Giants played the St. Louis Cardinals in a double header at Candlestick Park. The strange thing was that the starting time of game one was 10:30am. I went with Mike and the then future Mrs. Scott. We were dating at the time, and she wasn't a big baseball fan yet, in fact not one at all, so she brought a book to read.

Before Mt. Davis

I found a picture of the Oakland Coliseum before Mt. Davis was built for the Raiders. It had about the best bleacher sections in all of baseball. That's where I called home. There was a great view of the Oakland hills, and most of all, it looked like a ballpark. Check it out at the McCovey Chronicles.

Everything About the Cubs Sucks

The Chicago Cubs came to San Fran tonight, along with a few thousand of their frenzied, fair-weather fans. I have loathed the Cubs for a number of years now, and it's not from any envy or jealousy. It's the whole package. Yeah, I hate the Yankees, and their fans are obnoxious, but they've won twenty-freaking-something championships. That counts for something.

The Cubs, on the other hand, don't have much in the way of trophies. So it would seem that they're harmless. Well, they are in a major way. But their whole aura seems to be yuppification on steroids. Not that every Cubs fan is a yuppie, but they have some unexplainable weirdness about them that's not quite user friendly. Most of their fans are yahoos. The team has sucked forever, and a dying songwriter with cancer wrote a song about them telling how much they sucked. And the crowd went wild.

Their radio announcers suck, too, and I'm really glad I don't have to listen to them day in and day out. I hear "highlight" radio clips on all the major sports news from all the teams' announcers, and sometimes it's completely impossible to tell what just happened from the Cubs announcers. The other day I heard an unintelligible call on a scoring play, with the announcer saying something like this (the color guy I'll put in parenthesis): "Here's the 2-2 pitch.... Whoa! (Yeah!) There it is!...I don't believe it (Yahooooooooo!) Unbelievable! (Ohmygod!) Wow!" I think the Cubs scored, but they could just as easily won the game from all I could gather.

Maybe Wednesday at the Giants game I can have some fun not only heckling the Cubs, but their fans as well. Tonight the guy that sits behind us noticed that many of the Cubs fans were wearing Fukudome jerseys. He thought they were protesting a proposed domed stadium in Chicago.

A's Ads Slice Giants

Every time the A's and Giants play each other here, whether in interleague, the exhibition series right before the season starts, or the World Series, the series is usually called a/the "Bay Bridge Series" or also, "The Battle of The Bay." The A's in recent times have taken out ads in the San Francisco Chronicle, no less, that slam the Giants' lack of winning. Just Friday, one apparently was put into place that said, "The Battle of The Bay" with the word "battle" crossed out. A note was inserted that said something to the effect, "well, when you've won eight out of the last nine, it's not exactly a battle." The Giants players are pissed off. Well, maybe they should win, then.

Another couple of ads went out prior to their first meeting this year. The Giants put out an ad that said, "Don't Be An Athletic Supporter." The A's answered with an ad that claimed June as "Champions month." Every team that the A's played during June had won a World Series since the A's moved to Oakland, and all the years of those championships were listed. Except the San Francisco Giants, who have never won. They were followed by "n/a". An A's ad a few years ago was really classic: "Zero splash hits; four world titles."

Giants History in Cleveland

The Giants have never lost a game in Cleveland. They played two games there in the 1954 World Series, winning both of them in a sweep of that series. They've played the Indians in interleague before, but those games were in San Francisco. The current series has seen the Giants win the first two in Cleveland, including a no run appearance by Barry Zito, his best outing since becoming a Giant. Tomorrow's game will see if the streak can continue.

100% Baseball - A Great A's TV Commercial

I saw a truly wonderful A's commercial during the game last night. It starts out with an old video clip of the entrance sign to the Coliseum "1972 World Series - A's vs. Cincinnati - SOLD OUT". It then showed clips of great plays and players with the titles, "Vida is...", "Reggie is...", "Catfish is...". It then continued through A's history up until today with the same theme. Finally at the end, "...100% Baseball." It brought back so many memories of A's baseball. Joe Rudi making that catch against the left field wall against the Reds. Rickey Henderson breaking the all time stolen base record.

It's good to see the A's celebrate their history, as this is their 40th anniversary of being in Oakland. For some reason they avoid their history in Philadelphia and Kansas City. The Haas family did all they could to erase the Charlie Finley era from A's fans' memories. Why? The A's have a great history and great players. They should celebrate.

Comcast and the Seven Second Delay

I love listening to baseball on the radio so much that I used to watch the game on TV with the volume off and the radio on. Radio announcers have to describe the game using picturesque language, and their description is much better than TV announcers. Some time in the last two decades, I noticed that the game on radio and TV were slightly out of sinc. The TV seemed to have a fraction of a second delay. Once I heard that this was due to radio using land lines while TV had to beam many thousands of miles up to a satellite, creating a slight delay because of the speed of light.

Then a few years ago, I noticed that the TV had about a seven second delay. This is so irritating that it's very difficult to watch the game with the radio on. But at the ballpark, they have used closed circuit TV for years now, so that watching the monitors while standing in line for food or beer resulted in an absolutely live picture. But this year with the changing of Fox Sports to Comcast Sports, the monitors at the park have about a three second delay. What's up with that? With all the increase in technology, you would think Comcast could get it right instead of worse over time.

Giants Loss Projection Through June 15

June 2 through June 15:

25-33, 92; 25-34, 93; 25-35, 95; 26-35, 93; 27-35, 91; 28-35, 90; 29-35, 89; 29-36, 90; 29-37, 91; 30-37, 89; 30-38, 91; 30-39, 92; 30-40, 93.

Steinbrenner Blames NL for Injury

Hank Steinbrenner, son of king George, blames National League rules for the injury to his star pitcher, who was hurt while running the bases in a game against Houston in interleague play. He chided the NL for being so out of date so as to not have the designated hitter rule. Hey, Hank. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Rather than blame the NL for making pitchers run the bases, why not do the right thing and refuse to play interleague games? Start a trend among AL teams. Boycott interleague play. Get baseball to change. Why blame the NL for your own predicament? Your team brought the DH rule in, remember? You're the one who leaves your own pitchers vulnerable by refusing to have them practice hitting and running all year long.

Yo, Hank, did you learn how to act like a jackass from your dad?

Interleague Play and Divisional Re-Alignment

We're in the midst of a two and a half week stint of interleague play. I've not been a fan of interleague play at any time. When it was first discussed way back when, I thought it was a bad idea. The promise was for fans of the other league to see the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants and Dodgers. But they also have to see all the other teams as well. Sure, there have been some interesting matchups over the years, and I have enjoyed some of them, but overall they have had a negative impact on baseball in my view.

Baseball has put a spin on interleague play, claiming statistics that show an increase in attendance, etc., but most of this is just that - spin. Interleague games occur mostly in the summer when school is out and the weather is good. Most series are played on the weekends, so of course attendance figures will reflect those conditions. The "rivalry" series that baseball uses for attendance props can be good because of natural rivalries within any given metro or state area.

What I would like to see more than interleague play is to realign the divisions in baseball to allow for the maximum regional team groupings. The Yankees and Mets would be in the same division and play each other 20 games each year. Same with Cubs/Sox, Dodgers/Angels, A's/Giants. Now that would be great for baseball. One division could hold the A's, Giants, Dodgers, Angels and Padres. The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Orioles and Nats could be in another division. Maybe a southern division could hold the Rangers, Astros, Braves, Rays and Marlins. It won't happen anytime soon.

A's vs. Giants

The A's played the Giants this weekend during interleague play. I grew up with both teams and was a die-hard fan of each team. Of all the metro areas with two teams, being a fan of both is most accepted in the San Francisco area. I've been asked many times how I could be a fan of both teams, and I always responded that they would never play each other when it counted. This was before interleague play and the 1989 World Series.

I was a full time bleacher bum at A's games, while sitting in the box seats at Giants games. When they tore out my bleachers to build Mt. Davis for the Raiders, I stopped going to A's games regularly, so now I still like the A's and cheer for them, I'm not the die-hard fan I once was. They're my second favorite team, and if I see the Giants play at the Colisuem, I'll cheer for the Giants.

Each team's fans seem to have unique view of the other team. A's fans are jealous of all the Giants popularity with the whole Bonds era and the new stadium. The Coliseum went from a fairly good place to watch a game to a pit once it was remodeled for the Raiders. I did see a great T-shirt, though from an A's fan point of view. It read, "Zero splash hits, four world titles." Giants fans on the other hand seem to have an arrogant dismissal of the A's and their fans. Oakland is the place where the saying is true: "there's no there there." Oakland is a place of inferiority complex compared to the most popular city in the world, and their place in the lowly American League west only reinforces that.

Giants Loss Projection Through June 1

May 20 through June 1:

18-29, 100; 19-29, 98; 20-29, 96; 20-30, 97; 20-31, 98; 21-31, 97; 22-31, 95; 23-31, 93; 23-32, 94; 23-33, 95; 24-33, 94.

Parity In Baseball

Many sports fans make a case for parity - the idea that all teams should be as equal as possible to allow every team a shot at winning a championship. This idea is quite widespread. Sports like basketball and football have tried to accomplish this idea by implementing such things as a salary cap and revenue sharing, etc. Well, there is a solution to the parity problem that nobody ever talks about, and it's the only one that makes sense. I'll mention it later in the post.

The call for parity comes from a realization that big market teams have all the money and much larger sources of revenue and media attention, and therefore can simply "buy" success, if not a championship. New York is a great place to have a team. Big market teams are always in the playoffs, and fans are tired of seeing them all the time. They want somebody else to have a shot. Fans tire of dynasties.

Now, I'm actually opposed to this idea of parity. In fact, football and basketball are boring because of it. I always hear in the news about a trade or pickup or attempt to keep some player that some team can't do becuase of salary cap limitations. What fun is that? Oh, the Steelers can't resign this guy for what he's worth because of the salary cap. Why not? I believe teams should be able to improve their teams, regardless of money. Yes, I hate seeing the Yankees in the playoffs all the time. But, money doesn't guarantee a championship, as the last seven years have testified.

I actually prefer eras in sports that include dynasties. They make sports history interesting. If a different team won each year, history would be much less meaningful. Dynasties in my lifetime include the A's of the early 70's, the Big Red Machine, the Blue Jays minor dynasty, and the late 90's Yankees. Without dynasties, a winning team would have little hope for the following year, and players would leave more easily. Dynasties create memories and conversation.

The real solution to the problem of parity can be summed up in the answer to a question. If New York is such a great place to have a baseball team, then why don't more teams play there? The real problem isn't the disparity of market size between metropolitan areas, it is the idea of "territorial rights" given to teams. In baseball, each team has a territorial right within a 75 mile radius. If a team wanted to move to San Jose, the San Francisco Giants could veto such a move. And they did when the A's wanted to move there. When the Expos moved to Washington, the Baltimore Orioles cried foul and wanted compensation for the invasion.

But here's the problem with the territorial rights rule: it creates disparity because it is based on land area and not population. Yes, George Steinbrenner has been given a 22 million population metro area, while the Brewers have 2 million. Teams are given entire markets, not just parts of a large market. What baseball really needs is more teams in the large markets, to dilute the population base for each team. Do New York and Milwaukee have the same number of McDonald's? Put a team in downtown Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, one in East Retherford, NJ, and then you're talking. Put one in San Bernardino, San Jose, Chicago suburbs, and another one in Boston somewhere. All the intra-area rivalries would help, and it would give the Tampa Bay's of the baseball world a real chance to win... by either being more competitive right there in Tampa, or by moving to Brooklyn.

Cast And Crew: Coliseum Security Guards

A very important group of people in the history of the A's bleachers were the security guards. They were there every game, year in and year out. We all got to know them and they always talked to us. They were a special part of the bleachers because of the kind of people they were. Community as a part of life was as important to them as their jobs were. This simply made their jobs much better.

Most of the security guards were blue collar black guys from urban Oakland. They were all extremely mean looking, large guys that pumped iron. Biceps bulged in their shirt sleeves. You didn't want to mess with any of them. Their uniforms weren't your typical rent-a-cop looking security guard type of uniforms that you see at Disneyland or a corporate business park. They were olive drab in color, which made them all the more mean looking. But most of these guys were pussycats in many ways. They listened to soul, R&B, Barry White and old Motown and loved their wives. One of the bleacher guards was white, and he was stationed in right field. He didn't seem to be one of the cool ones, and had kind of the same image as the white cop on the TV show Sanford and Son.

They weren't busybodies, so standing around doing nothing while nothing wrong was happening was perfectly fine with them, and us. They talked baseball, cars and many other things. When fights broke out, we certainly saw them body slam their fair share of rowdies. They were fairly lenient with pot smokers, but occasionally ran some of them in to the security rooms somewhere within the concrete superstructure known as the Coliseum. But it was almost like the more pot somebody had, the less trouble they got into, because some of the guards simply took the evidence home for themselves. A couple of them were themselves often stoned on the job, and a couple of bleacher bums smoked dope with them on a regular basis.

The main guards as we knew them were: Sarge, whose real name was Bob; we just called him Sarge because he was the sergeant of all the guards. Champ, a shortening of his last name. Larry, and Gipson. One year I had all of them autograph a baseball for me. They were shocked at the proposition, but loved signing anyway. They were employed not by the A's, but by the Coliseum, so they did football, basketball, concerts and wrestling too. Wrestling events were the worst for them because of all the food and other things thrown. We loved the guards and talking with them, and made for a much more pleasant experience.

Many More Stories To Come

I was viewing my topic list that I still want to write about. I have over sixty stories on that list that I count as major experiences that I still want to write about. This doesn't include posts about players, stats, current events, ballparks, history, etc.; just stories. I can't believe it. I'm just scratching the surface of baseball things to blog about. Hopefully I won't run out any time soon.

The Riot

There's a double header I attended back in 1988 (Dodgers/Giants at Candlestick) that I simply call "The Riot." A co-worker of mine was there and he recalled his version of the story to me just last week. It was great to hear it from him, because as he recounted it to me, I realized that unlike many fishing stories, my version hadn't grown each time I've told it. As I tell the following story, please be reminded that I am not exaggerating as to what happened.

The Giants hosted a rare double header against the Dodgers in July of 1988. Rare because they usually draw well and don't need a double header. The late 80's/early 90's saw the peak of fan rowdiness and unruliness, contrary to some moralist traditionalists that claim it is still getting worse. Well this night was tops I've ever experienced.

First, there were 50,000 extremely rowdy Giants fans in attendance for this twi-night double header. It started hours before the game in the parking lot. "Beat LA" and "Dodgers suck" chants were breaking out all over the place, and it lasted all night long. The second game went extra innings, so it was a truly long night indeed. The Dodgers swept, winning both games by scoring in the late innings, which infuriated the orange and black throngs.

Beer sales must have hit an all time record. There were tens of thousands of completely drunken fans. Plastered out of their minds. Normally, alcohol sales are cut off in the 7th inning of a game. But during the double header, sales weren't halted until the 7th inning of the second game. Liquor bottles sneaked in by the fans were lying everywhere, and you could hear one drop to the concrete every few minutes. Bathroom lines were hundreds of fans deep, and once inside, a drunken party atmosphere prevailed. There were fights in the stands every inning or so. The police were out in force, by the dozens, and they were wearing full riot gear. Helmets, shields, batons and combat boots. Every few innings a fight was bad enough that the riot cops descended on the fight, jumping in head first and pummelling people with sticks and such. Fans would rise to their feet to view the fighting. Dodger fans were being physically assaulted just for being Dodger fans. It was very ugly, especially in the bleachers. Rowdiness was anticipated, as the grass area between the bleachers and the chain link left field fence (where fans would pour out to shag home runs) was barricaded off and stayed this way for the rest of the year.

A mob mentality ruled the crowd the entire evening. Drunkenness, profane chants, you name it. An especially active group of rowdies were sitting behind the Dodger dugout, heckling and screaming at Dodgers on deck and those who returned to the dugout after making outs or errors. Not only did fans throw Dodger home runs back onto the field in game one (emulating the bleacher bums at Wrigley Field), but the fans had become so drunken and unruly in game two that they were even throwing back foul balls hit by the Dodgers. "Throw it back" chants broke out upon every Dodger foul ball. It became a really foggy evening as well (this could have been Halloween) and one pop fly was lost in the fog by a Dodger outfielder as it fell for a hit.

One foul ball hit by a Dodger behind home plate was caught by a Giants fan. I usually watch fans after they catch a ball to see how they react. Well, the Dodger batter got back into the batter's box, and this fan started sprinting down the aisle toward the field. He hurled a major league fastball at the Dodger batter, missing his ear by about six inches as the ball scooted across the infield. Within seconds, the entire Dodger dugout had climbed into the stands and started kicking the crap out of this fan. Riot police again descended into the mess and body slammed this fan to the concrete before escorting him off in handcuffs. With the Dodger players in the stands, fans by the dozens were hurling their beers at the Dodgers. Showers of liquid, debris and profane abuse were raining down from everywhere. They retreated to the field, where the deluge continued. The game was stopped and it took several minutes to clean up the mess and restore order. Special announcements were made before games the rest of the year because of this incident.

All in all, it was a scary night. I could feel it in the air. Even though I was a season ticket holder - and Giants fan - sitting in the most prime of box seats, I still felt like something could happen to me at any time. If it weren't for being such a baseball fan, and having a few beers in me myself, it would have been a good thing to just make it home as quickly as possible. My co-worker felt the same. And that's the reason I call this double header "The Riot." See the box scores for game 1 here, and game 2 here.

The Bullpen

If we don't want our youngest to get into things while we are busy with something else, we put him in his play pen. As a baseball family I wonder why it took us so long to come up with a nickname for the playpen: The Bullpen

Devil Gone

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays officially changed their nickname this year from the Devil Rays to just simply the Rays. They even changed their website address, but with a forward link no doubt from the old name. I thought the Toronto Blue Jays did the same thing a few years ago, but upon visiting their site, apparently not.

I'm not sure what possessed the Devil Rays to change their name, but I don't much like either name. Their uniforms have pretty much said "Rays" across the front for a while now anyway. On second thought, I'm not sure what possessed them to be named the Devil Rays in the first place. A fan contest I seem to remember. Did only one fan vote? At least they were never the Tampa Bay Giants.

Fun Night At The Ballyard

I went to last night's thrashing of the Mets by the Giants. It started out with deciding to drive to the game from work. A friend was also going and had to meet his family there so he hitched a ride. Another guy who lived in the City piled in so we crossed the bridge free in the carpool lane. We got there really early. It was a guy's night out with Mike and I. My good friend Shelly bought the other two tickets long ago and brought her dad.

It was Irish heritage night, so I opted out of my usual Lagunitas IPA and had a Guiness. It was also Tim Lincecum poster night for the first 20,000. I got there in plenty of time. I bumped into Shelly in the food line just before heading down to the seats. Her dad had an open container of pop corn which lasted for quite a few innings.

There were many Mets fans in attendance, with their usual machismo style of "bragging rights start before the game" swagger. A six run first shut all of them up. Funny how that happens. Anyway, it was a typical frigid San Francisco summer night, temps in the low 50's, foggy, with wind in the 30mph's. Overall, I had quite a bit of fun, what with the Giants win and an abundance of heckling opportunities of the Mets bullpen, what with all the scoring.

Decline Of The Baseball Card Hobby

A few months ago I decided to look up the value of some of my baseball cards. My most valuable card, as far as I know, is a 1975 George Brett mini rookie card. The mini set was a Topps experiment on the west coast that never took hold. Those cards are worth more than the standard size. Last I checked, this card was worth about $750 ten years ago. Surely, I thought, it would be worth more today.

Not so. I found many of them on various internet market sites like eBay. The max asking price I found was $100 for a card in excellent condition. I don't know whether the price went down because the supply went up. By the supply going up I mean that the average card holder now has an easy way to market the card on the internet. In the past, trying to find a card for sale would have been tougher, maybe limited to seeking out a dealer. Also the glut of companies and various card series coupled with a lack of interest from the younger generation might have contributed to this. Nevertheless, it isn't worth what it used to be. Maybe that's good because I can keep it instead of selling it to get some much desired cash.

Update - Ballparks From The Air

In my last post I said I saw Dodger stadium at night all lit up from the airplane. Yes, the lights were on, but I made the mistake of saying that they were playing that night. Actually the Dodgers and Mets played in New York. I don't know why the lights were on.

Ballparks From The Air

Yesterday, I flew to our firm's San Diego office on business from the Oakland airport. It was a down-and-up trip, same day. San Diego is about 500 miles south of the Bay Area. (When you consider that we are still six driving hours south of the Oregon state line, it shows just how big California is). The flight starts out curving over the bay, then over San Fransisco out to the ocean. It follows the coast all the way down to San Diego. It is important to get a window seat on the left side of the plane.

From the air, I saw Dodger stadium, just to the east of all the huge buildings in downtown, from 35,000 feet. Then I saw Anaheim Stadium, or whatever they were calling it at 10am yesterday, just a few minutes later (it is 30 miles south of LA). I also saw our firm's San Diego office from the air. The approach to the San Diego airport, under normal wind conditions, is from the southeast. So I was able to see Petco Park close up amongst the downtown buildings. Nobody else on the flight would have been interested, so I got to see all these things in quiet wonder.

I had several meetings in San Diego, and didn't get any normal work done. But knowing that I was there while the Padres played a day game (I couldn't go to the game), was a bit of a downer. On my return flight, which was just after sunset, I had an aisle seat on the right side, so the view was extremely limited. But, I did get to see Dodger stadium again - in the dark with the stadium lights on. They were playing the Mets at 8pm when I flew by. It was an awesome view from the air.

The only thing I missed was seeing Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T/eHarmony Park on the takeoff out of Oakland. Usually, the flights go over downtown SF, making the park visible. But we veered off to the south, and it was foggy anyway.

Seeing parks from the air was really cool, and these were a couple of flights to remember.

My 1987 Season

After my 1986 season of going to 173 regular season games in 11 ballparks, I kept it up in 1987 by going to 165 games in 7 ballparks. Only two of the ballparks were new for me, Royals Stadium in Kansas City and Busch Stadium in St. Louis. But, in addition to all those regular season games, I went to 10 spring training games (7 of them in Arizona, one in San Diego vs. the A's and the two Bay Bridge Series games), the All-Star Game in Oakland, the three NLCS games in San Francisco, and a minor league game in Reno. This for a total of 180 games. Plus, I was at the All-Star workout the day before the All-Star game.

A few noteworthy things about the '87 season. Spring training was lots of fun. I saw the A's in Kansas City, and I caught a foul ball off the A's Carney Lansford. Later that night former Royals manager Dick Howser died from cancer. The minor league game occurred during the All-Star break when Mike and I went to Reno to gamble. We looked up the minor league team (then Reno Padres, California A league). They played the Stockton Ports (Brewers) with future star Gary Sheffield. Sheffield had been recently involved in a police incident with his cousin (uncle?) Dwight Gooden in Florida. Sheffield was heckled greatly. I also attended my first LCS with the Giants playing the Cards. 1986 and 1987 were my all-out seasons, and I haven't attended nearly as many games ever since.

Tampa Bay Best Record In Baseball

As of right now, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in all of baseball. No, it's not opening day. Amazing. The Yankees are also in last place.

More On My 1986 Season

In 1986 I attended 173 regular season games in 11 ballparks. I forgot to mention that I also attended two exhibition games just prior to the season. These were the last two spring training games played between the A's and Giants, one game in each Oakland and San Francisco, called "The Bay Bridge Series." So there were 175 games total.

The 11 ballparks I visited were: Oakland Coliseum, Candlestick Park, The Kingdome (Seattle), County Stadium (Milwaukee), Wrigley Field, Old Comiskey Park, Anaheim Stadium, Jack Murphy Stadium (San Diego), Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Olympic Stadium (Montreal).

In addition to the two "double headers the hard way" I did between Wrigley and Comiskey, I also did Dodger Stadium (day game) and Jack Murphy Stadium (night game) in LA and San Diego.

How To Heckle The Astros Bullpen

"Hey, Wright, did you inject Roger Clemens?"

Zitoriffic

The highest paid pitcher in history just recorded his first victory of the year, and is now 1-8. He pitched a three hitter into the seventh inning, but walked four and threw a lot of pitches. But, I'll take it. Maybe he'll get his confidence back, not to mention his fast ball. He needs to, he's being paid.

Every Fifth Game

In a typical season, the best of teams win about 96 games for a winning percentage of about .600. The worst of teams lose about 96 games for a winning percentage of about .400. These winning percentages can be had in as few as five games. A record of 3-2 yields a percentage of .600 and a 2-3 record is .400. So both the best of teams and the worst of teams win two games and lose two games. The difference between the good and bad teams is what they do with the fifth game.

It is interesting that the outcome of only every fifth game makes such a huge difference in a team's season. Over 162 games, this small difference is magnified greatly.

Giants Loss Projection Thru May 19

May 3 through May 19:


14-17, 89; 14-18, 91; 14-19, 93; 14-20, 95; 14-21, 97; 14-22, 99; 15-22, 96; 16-22, 94; 16-23, 96; 17-23, 93; 17-24, 95; 17-25, 96; 17-26, 98; 17-27, 99; 17-28, 101; 17-29, 102.

Magowan: Rags To Riches But Without Rings

Today Giants managing general partner Peter Magowan announced his resigning from his position(s) of Giants president and managing general partner, making way for another owning partner and member of the organization to step up. This is a bittersweet thing. Magowan led a group of investors in an eleventh-hour buy of the Giants (actually it was about 12:30am) from an already made deal to a group from Tampa Bay. Imagine the Tampa Bay Giants. Ick.

Their wild dreams came true to a great extent and put San Francisco on the baseball map in a number of ways. The Giants former owner Bob Lurie put the team up for sale following the '92 season. Magowan rescued the Giants from sure ridicule in Tampa. Not only this, but this new ownership group immediately and stealthily signed Barry Bonds without the action from a general manager. They also recruited Jon Miller, baseball announcer extraordinaire, and built the most popular and widely acclaimed new stadium in all of baseball. The Giants sold out the entire first season, and have drawn over 3 million fans for 8 consecutive years. Giants fans were treated to amazing home run record chasing events by Bonds - along with 5 consecutive MVP awards (one from Kent) - and also saw a World Series and an All-Star game, not to mention the most competitive team in all of baseball. In the 8 years from 1997 through 2004, the Giants played only 11 regular season games that did not have a direct affect on their post-season destiny. The Bonds era saw the Giants run up the third best record in all of baseball.

Yet all this happened without a World Series ring. The current state of the team brings more questions than answers, and it appears that it will be a long while before they put themselves in another position to win it all. And God only knows that they've had a multitude of those chances. All in all, the current ownership group seems to have been more marketing than performance, more show than go. Maybe it's time for a change.

Too Busy To Blog

I've been busy, and hope to be back blogging on Monday.

Eugenio

Eugenio, pronounced "ay-oo-HAY-nee-oh", as far as I can see, is Spanish for "Eugene." The dad in a family I know, is sometimes called "Eugene" by his wife, who reads my blog. I know him as Gene. But the Giants have a kid playing right now named Eugenio Velez, and the Spanish pronunciation has caught on with some kind of cult following. I doubt she'll ever call him Eugenio.

My 1986 Season

My 1986 season was a special one for me. I went to 173 regular season games in 11 different ballparks. People have asked me how I could have gone to 173 games when there are only 162 games in a season. Well, the baseball season is actually 179 days long (or was back then). Twenty six weeks (26 x 7) minus 3 days off for the All-Star break = (182-3=179). My basic pattern, with a few exceptions, was to go to every A's home game and every Giants home game, then travel to other ballparks on days off. (Note: for metro markets with two teams like New York, LA, Chicago and San Fran, baseball tries its best to schedule each team with opposite home/road schedules to give teams the best shot possible at the highest attendance plus minimizing radio and TV conflicts. 1986 for example saw no A's/Giants home games on the same day.)

I had a job working for my then future father-in-law out of his house. He allowed me to more or less make my own hours, so I would work a day shift for night games, and work a split shift for day games. I didn't start the season with the idea that I would go to so many games (I went to 64 in 1985 and 36 in 1984). I just went to each game I could, which happened to be every day for the first few weeks. Late in April I realized that I had gone to every game so far, and only then did I decide I would make an all-out season. Over all, I missed only one A's home game and six Giants home games (two three-game series); I was in other cities during these days.

Over the winters in the 80's (pre-internet) I made it a practice to write to every team requesting their schedule for the upcoming year. I made a master schedule and planned my traveling from that. My greatest trip was a whirlwind 8 games in 5 days in 5 ballparks with a friend. May 4, there was a double header at Candlestick vs. Montreal, May 5 we flew to Chicago and rented a car and drove up to Milwaukee to see the Brewers play Seattle. May 6 and 7 were "double headers the hard way." Both the Cubs (vs. Dodgers) and White Sox (vs. Yankees) were home on the same days (a rare occurrence), with the Cubs playing day games and the Sox night games - another four games in two days. Then, an early morning flight on May 8 landed in Oakland at 10:30am for a 12:15 A's game vs. Milwaukee. Whew! The only A's home game I missed was on May 7. Other trips included a three game series with the A's in Seattle in April (missed a Giants series), and a trip to Montreal at the end of the season vs. the division champ Mets (missed a Giants series) with a layover in New York to see the Yankees play the Blue Jays. Down and back day trips to Anaheim, LA and San Diego on days off were also regular during 1986.

It was a whirlwind season full of amazing memories. I still have stories to write about staying in the Mets hotel in Montreal and the trip to Seattle, as well as the 8/5/5 trip. Stay tuned.

Betting on the Other Team As Insurance

I thought about what it means to bet on one's favorite team. Conventionally, people put money on their own team. This means that if their team wins, they also win some money. Double payoff. But if their team loses, not only do they have to endure the pain of losing a big game, they're out some cashola, too. Double pain.

But what about betting on the other team? Fans often say things like, "I'll give anything for my team to win the Series/Superbowl, etc." So why not bet on the other team in the amount that one would give to see their own team win? If their team wins, then the monetary loss would be worth it. But if their team loses, then they win some money to console them in their misery. Before the 2002 World Series, I should have put up some good money on the Angels - the amount I would have given to see the Giants win - so that when the Giants lost, I could have afforded to drown my sorrows.

My Altercation With Pete Incaviglia's Mother

I what I can only call my greatest game as a fan with all the weird stuff that happened, it was capped off with a truly bizarre incident. It was near the end of the 1986 season, the A's were in the tank, school was back in and it was a mid-week day game. Of the nearly 1000 games I've attended, it had the lowest attendance of all of them. I personally counted it at 1603. There were only 33 people in the bleachers and one lone fan in the third deck. He found a better seat downstairs in the 2nd inning.

The Rangers beat the A's that day 4-0, with all their runs coming off three home runs, two of them by rookie star Pete Incaviglia. Since school was back in, no kids with gloves were there, and with only 33 people in all the bleachers, I shagged all three home run balls. All the scoring in the entire game went home in my backpack that day. How many fans can claim that? Wow.

After the game, the friend I sat with and I decided to try to get Incaviglia's autograph. We waited at the player exit, and since it was getaway day, the bus was inside the barricade. The players came out, and I yelled at Incavigila that I had his home runs and wanted an autograph. But he got on the bus. There was a large group of people in the exit area, obviously players' families. One woman came over to me and asked why I was yelling at Incaviglia and said that she was his mother. I told her that I caught both balls and wanted an autograph but he got on the bus. "Oh, that's great!" she replied, "I'm glad for you! I'm his mother, so I can get him off the bus for you. I'm his mother."

I agreed, and was grateful that she was so kind. She went over to the bus for a minute, then returned. "Oh, he's already seated on the bus and can't come out. But he said if I bring him a ball, he would sign it for you. I'm his mother." I was delighted. So I gave her one of the balls, and she took it. Suddenly, she said, "On second thought, I'm his mother. I want the ball." "Huh?" I replied. "I'm his mother, I'm his mother. I've been to every game he's ever played, little league, high school, college, and I have all his souvenirs and collect everything. I'm his mother!" She must have said "I'm his mother" about a hundred times. "You know, you said you would get him to sign it, but if you won't, I want it back" I said. "No, I'm going to keep it! I'm his mother!"

By this time the situation was completely out of hand. She was going to steal the ball from me. She was still within arm's length, so I reached over the barricade and grabbed it back from her. But she clutched onto it and wouldn't let go. We were having a tugging war over a baseball. Then she screamed for security! "Help, security! He's taking the ball away from me!" Unbelievable. Now, how's this going to look to security: a long haired bleacher bum is fighting with a player's mother over a baseball. The guard came over and she pleaded her case. But fortunately I had gone to so many games that I knew the guard personally. "Hey, Bob, I caught both of Inci's homers today and she's the one trying to steal it from me." He believed me instead of her, and made her let go. Man what a day. View the box score here. (At the time, the American League counted tickets sold as the attendance, not the actual number of people that were there. I'm the one reporting that number!)

Giants Loss Projection Thru May 2

More loss projection for the Giants for games between April 18 and May 2:

6-11, 105; 7-11, 99; 8-11, 94; 8-12, 97; 8-13, 100; 9-13, 96; 10-13, 92; 11-13, 88; 11-14, 91; 11-15, 93; 12-15, 90; 12-16, 93; 13-16, 89; 13-17, 92.

So far this year their loss pace has been between 88 and 139 games.

Matt Cain Wins!

I went to the Giants game last night. Man, was it a cold one. About 15,000 were there and it dwindled down to just a few thousand at game's end, even though an announced attendance of over 30,000 was given. But the big news is that the Giants actually scored enough runs - combined with the bullpen not torching a Cain lead - to give him a very rare win. Usually when Cain throws a shutout the Giants lose. This time, he threw a shutout and the Giants won it for him.

Voice Of God Back

It is good to again hear Roy Steele doing the PA at A's games. I heard him do the opening day lineups, and it brought back a lifetime worth of memories. It must be hard to live up to the nickname "voice of God", but Steele is a former preacher and his name was given to him by Jon Miller while Miller was a radio announcer for the A's way back in 1970. I pointed out to Mrs. Scott beforehand how when he does the lineup he breaks his "batting second... batting third", etc., when he gets to fifth and instead says, "in the fifth position..." He followed through.

Extra Inning Games

I love extra inning games. They are one reason baseball is such a great game. As I type, the Giants are in jeopardy of blowing a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 13th inning in San Diego. Fresh in memory is still the Padres 22 inning game against the Rockies last week where all kinds of records were set. Extra inning games are so wonderful because nobody knows when they'll finish. During long extra inning games, managers can deplete both their bench and bullpen by substituting for players in strategic situations, only to have strategy fail inning after inning. Crazy things can result.

Extra inning games can magically (on insanely) push fans past that point of no return where they decide that they'll stay until the end no matter how long it lasts. It's even better when one or both games of a double header go extras. I have fond memories of extra inning games. One Giants/Dodgers gem I attended went 16, and the teams fell one player short of an all time record. Pitchers were playing the outfield, and Lasorda had the left and right fielders switch positions depending on whether a right or left handed batter was up. Giants closer Greg Minton played a hand in the end, when he had to bat for one of only a few times in his career, with two out and nobody on, trailing by a run. He got a hit and eventually scored. What a hilarious sight.

I used to tell people that I went to games with that I never left early, even if the game would go to the 25th inning at 3am. Well, the Giants just won, 3-2, gaining the final out after the Padres had the bases loaded and one run in. Now Mrs. Scott can watch Top Chef.

Eco-Friendly Giants Help The Environment

It all came to me these last two days. The Giants m.o. in losing Bonds and keeping worthless old men around all the while neglecting their farm system for a decade. The Giants suck so bad that nobody wants to come to the park to see them, and the lack of those people using polluting forms of transportation helps the environment.

Giants Weakest Offense

Through three full weeks of ball, the Giants have scored the fewest runs in the major leagues, while only six teams have allowed more runs. With a record of 8-11, on a pace to lose 94 games, the Giants are doing much better than their runs scored/runs allowed totals would suggest. Homers might blame the low run total on AT&T Park, but they can't do that for the pitching's high run total from a supposed great rotation.

Giants Loss Projector

I've decided to keep track of the Giants projected losses for the year based on each day's record. A few posts ago, they were 1-6, with a projected loss total of 139. After today's loss, they are 6-10, with a projected loss total of 101. Mike thinks they'll lose 103. I think they'll break the 100 mark. Anyway, for the first 16 games, their daily totals - won/loss/projected losses - are:

0-1, 162; 0-2, 162; 1-2, 108; 1-3, 122; 1-4, 130; 1-5, 135; 1-6, 139; 2-6, 122; 3-6, 108; 4-6, 96; 4-7, 103; 4-8, 108; 5-8, 100; 6-8, 93; 6-9, 97; 6-10, 101.

How To Heckle - Knowing The Minor Leagues

Knowing the minor league teams of the visiting team can be useful for heckling their players. A young or inexperienced player can be needled by reminding him that he is only one screwup from being sent down to the minors. Ahhh, yes, the minor leagues. Long bus rides and cheap motels. A far cry from the big show. Once back in the minors, it's a long way back to the majors.

"Hey, Johnson, can you spell 'Albuquerque'?" Or maybe, "It's a looooong bus ride back to Bakersfield!" That I chose traditional Dodger minor league teams is a mere coincidence. A good way to make an impression on the visiting target is to start with the AAA team. Then threaten demotion to the lower levels like AA and A ball. Players in the minors who have spent time up in the bigs will do anything to get back. But players in the bigs who are on the bubble are not looking forward to minor league hassles and minuscule salaries due to falling from grace.

My First Foul Ball

My first foul ball came in 1982 at Candlestick Park. It was Giants pitcher Bill Laskey's first major league start, against the Montreal Expos. I was there with Mike. A foul ball came our way off the bat of an Expo and it landed in the stands right in front of us. We both jumped in to the scrum of a few fans, and each caught hold of part of the ball. We started a "fight" between us, punching each other to get the other to let go of the ball. I won the struggle, although I'm not sure that is a great accomplishment to get the ball. My friend is out of a ball. Anyway, it is good to remember getting even a chance, and with Bill Laskey's first start, it was something to remember. It turned out even better when Laskey pitched a complete game shutout. See the box score here.

Lose 139 Games?

At 1-6, the Giants are on a pace to go 23-139. No team has ever lost more than 120 games. My friend Mike got a bet at 4:1 for a Giants/A's over/under of 200 losses. If each team lost 100 games, he would win the bet. But if the Giants lost 139 games, the A's could have the best record in baseball and win the World Series and he could still win the bet. I don't think the Giants will lose 139 games, but maybe 103.

Opening Day 2008

Today the Giants had their home opener. It was a celebration of 50 years in San Francisco, 1958-2008. This celebration will last all year. It was a real treat to go to the game today. We secured the help of babysitters, and Mrs. Scott and I sat together without children for the first time in several years. The weather was sunny but cool. A perfect day for baseball until the sun made its way behind the light towers, making things a bit chilly. Mike and Nora were there too as was the family that always sits behind us. Although the Giants got killed - predictably so - there were a few highlights to take the mind off the pain of the impending tragedy known as the 2008 season.

The fans were sarcastic about this year's team, but individual players seemed to gain the endearment of the fans. We also got to ruthlessly heckle Trevor Hoffman while he was warming up in the bullpen in the ninth inning. We reminded him about his two blown pennant blown saves the last 3 games of last year's season.

Red Sox In Last Place

So said today's headlines. Cool!

Saturday Night Baseball?

For decades, three teams have traditionally played more than half of their games during the day. The Chicago Cubs, the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants. The Cubs didn't get stadium lights put in until 1988, and day baseball is still the tradition on the Northside. The A's and Giants have always played a high percentage of day games, and always a day game on Saturday, because of the cool, foggy nighttime weather in the Bay Area, with the midweek getaway day usually played under the sun, too.

Saturday afternoon at the ballpark in the sunshine has always been a treat. But things have changed, and the Giants have just this year started playing a large majority of their Saturday games at night. Why? The short answer is television. FOX has the rights to the daytime slot and teams are forbidden to televise their own games during that time. Since the Bonds era is over and the Giants really suck, FOX isn't going to show the Giants anytime soon. They were on FOX nearly every Saturday in at least a regional game for years. Now the Giants have nothing more than their historic name as a national TV draw. So, to take in TV revenue, they're moving most of their Saturday games to a night starting time so either the local FOX Sports Net or their new channel 11 can carry the game, and the Giants can still pull in some revenue. TV money rules baseball. Just my guess, anyway.

One Game Series?

Aside from the dumb regular season games in Japan, the opening game this year was the Braves in Washington for the opening of the Nats' new ballpark. What was truly strange about this is that each team played a different team in its next game. They played a one game series. Kind of a waste of travel, huh? But then, a one game series really isn't a series because it takes two things to be in series.

Speaking Of Wire To Wire

Yesterday was opening day, and the Giants were the only team in the NL west to lose, so they're all alone in last place. Long season?

This Apocalyptic Day In Giants History - March 31, 2003

This day in Giants history, March 31, 2003. The Giants opened the season on the road. The very first batter in the top of the first on Opening Day, Ray Durham, hit a season leadoff home run to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. And, how fitting that was, because they quite literally never looked back all year long. The first at bat of the season gave them the lead, they won that opening day, and went on to become only the ninth team in major league history to hold first place wire to wire.

They were in first place every single day of the season and clinched the division. They won their first playoff game. From that first homer, they never looked back. Until Jose F***ing Cruz dropped that f***ing fly ball against the expansion wildcard Florida F***ing Marlins and started a World Series derailing collapse for the second year in a row. So much for opening day. ****!

p.s. ****!, #%@&! and #$%@!

Giants Wacky Week

The Giants promise to really suck this year. A few days ago they lost to their minor league team, and their ace Zito was roughed up by a bunch of kids. The Mariners blew them away on Thursday, as the Giants played Little League ball, with a Little League homer by the M's, and plenty of mindless play. Of course it's still spring training. Then Tim Lincecum pitched 5 innings of no-hit ball against the A's. But the two losses this weekend to the A's put the Giants well into the cellar of spring training ball, finishing with the worst record of all. But Opening Day changes into hope, even if for only a day.

A's Fight Back

The Oakland A's fought back in game 2 of the series against the Red Sox in Japan. Good for them. What has been a one-sided media event turned out to be a statement by the A's that they're not to be taken lightly. The four game series continues next Tuesday at the Oakland Coliseum, or whatever the hell they're naming it these days.

Regular Season Games In Japan?

Why are the A's/Sox games in Japan part of the regular season? This makes little sense. Exhibition games would sell out just as easily over there. Plus, the A's lose two games off their home schedule and the game is on at 3am. Both teams now come back to the States and play a bunch more spring training games. The standings sit with two teams at 1-1 for a week. There is no standings competition between any teams during this series. That the Red Sox took first place a week before the season even starts is meaningless. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

The Claw

When I was a kid I knew that my dad still had his first baseman's mitt from high school. We brought it back out in the mid 80's. It was a 1941 Rudy York model. It had three separate "finger" looking sections to it. It was about two thirds the size of today's standard fielder's glove, but was the biggest thing ever seen back then. My dad let me use it and I brought it out to the bleachers to show my friends. They nicknamed it "the claw." I had it out there for a few games and it paid off big. I caught a line drive homer off Dave Winfield. If you know how Winfield hit his homers (screaming line drives), and that there was only the palm to catch the ball in, then you can figure out that my hand hurt for not just a few hours.

How To Heckle - Doing Your Homework

One of the categories of heckling is the target player's personal performance. They might be in a slump, for example, so knowing that will help generate heckling material. Watching the box scores every day can be a great tool. Let's say Detroit is coming in next week. Watch their box scores to see what each player is doing. If your target is 0 for his last 15, or if he makes a game losing error in Anaheim prior to flying into your hometown, you'll know about it. Reminding him of his recent failures is a good way to get at his inner psyche and cause him to lose again.

How To Heckle - Categories of Heckling

There are four basic subjects in heckling. The first is general heckling of a player. Things like "you suck" or "you're a bum". The second is a personally pointed heckling. Using things unique to that player, but still in a general sense. These two subjects cross over and are blurred in distinction. Each player wears a uniform, and with a number, and has a name. One can heckle using the player's name, like, "hey, Smith, you suck!" in a general sense or in a more specific sense like, "hey, Smith, your baseball card is blank on the back!"

The third is being specific with a player's performance. "Hey, Smith, you popped up so many times yesterday, your new nickname is 'The Toaster!'" The fourth is dealing with a player's personal life. Tabloid news junk, bizarre family stuff, drug problems, trouble with the law, bad blood in the clubhouse, etc. Heckler beware here. For example, back in the 80's when Luis Polonia was caught with a fifteen year old girl in a Milwaukee hotel room, a favorite heckling line of mine was, "Hey, Polonia, fifteen'll getcha twenty!"

Tickets Are Here - Draft Day

My season tickets arrived a couple of days ago. Last night the main players (myself, Mrs. Scott, Mike and Nora) had our annual ticket draft party where we divided up games for the season. Each of us has other buyers that take a few, and we speak on their behalf. We had burritos and beer and each kept a list. Mike and Nora each brought their laptops, but I stuck to the pencil and paper. Each year, the four of us take in Opening Day together. We have some "the four of us" games, some "girls night out" games and some "guys night out" games. It should be a fun season watching a losing team play in a half filled ballpark. The beer line will probably be shorter. Can't wait.